Octavius tonight.
But that was the venom doing a number on me. Never mind that Alex was sexy as hell that night, being all protective of his club and his customers. And even now, watching him fume at the thought of Octavius kissing me was a helluva turn-on. His hands fisting on the bar, flexing muscles in his forearms up to his rolled sleeves and beyond. His broad shoulders tensed, so very male. Seeing his reaction had my heart doing double time and muscles low in my center turning liquid hot.
“Drugged you? Drugged you how?”
I gave myself a quick mental shake, trying again to stay on topic. “I…I think he spiked my drink.”
Come to think about it, that might have something to do with my current amorous mood. Their venom worked like some sort of date-rape drug…except I didn’t really mind. Then again, it could be all Alex.
Alex cursed under his breath, pushing from the bar, scrubbing a hand over his face then paced back to me. “Sounds like something Octavius would do. He’s territorial. Likes to mark what he sees as his. His scent on you is a kind of mark, a claim. Asshole .”
“Right.” Couldn’t argue that. The guy had used his mind tricks and venom to try to get me alone. Was he really planning on turning me? I didn’t want to think about it. “He told me about Bess.”
Alex’s gaze snapped to mine, his angry fidgeting stopped. “What did he say about her?”
“Only that she was killed and that you were so upset about it you wouldn’t see him.” I dropped my gaze, traced the rim of my glace with my finger. “I think he kind of blames you.”
He laughed but it wasn’t a happy laugh. “He would.”
“What happened?”
After a moment’s thought, Alex gestured with a nod of his head toward the tables that lined the far wall. He walked around the inside of the bar, and I grabbed my orange juice and followed along the outside. We met at the hinged section of the bar top.
“Her name was Elizabeth,” he said as we settled into an intimate table for two. “She hated the name Bess, but everyone was using the nickname back then and Octavius was only ever concerned about what he wanted.”
“Octavius said she turned him.”
“She did, though it was well before I was born.” Alex tipped his chin at the bar and raised a finger when the other bartender nodded back. “He’d stayed with her fifty years when I met them.”
“Wow, they really must’ve loved each other.”
Alex snorted. “Love had nothing to do with it. When a vampire turns someone they’re responsible for the fledgling for the first thirty years. It takes about that long for the sire’s mark to fade from the fledgling, and for their venom to be fully replaced by the fledgling’s own. The responsibility quickly becomes a burden. No one—no one sane—stays with their sire longer than those first thirty years.”
A thin, statuesque woman dressed the same as Alex and the other bartenders, white button shirt and black slacks, placed a glass filled with deep red liquid in front of Alex. He gave her a half nod. “Thanks.”
“Is that blood?” I had to ask. Couldn’t help it.
“No. Bloody Mary mix. I love this stuff.”
Too weird. “So Octavius was what, like a stalker?”
Alex finished his swallow nodding. “In a way. They’d had an infatuation before she turned him, but it was far more to Octavius. He’d become obsessed with her and it only got worse after the change. Later on she realized she’d seen signs, but her loneliness kept her in denial. I couldn’t blame her. An eternity walking outside the world, bearing witness to humanity but no longer a part of it, can be maddening.”
I looked around the nightclub, customers bumping shoulders, tables filled, people standing two deep at the bar. “Doesn’t look too lonely to me.”
Alex followed my gaze. “Things are different now. Back then our kind were spread far and wide with no easy way to keep in touch. We are not a pack species but we do feel the
But that was the venom doing a number on me. Never mind that Alex was sexy as hell that night, being all protective of his club and his customers. And even now, watching him fume at the thought of Octavius kissing me was a helluva turn-on. His hands fisting on the bar, flexing muscles in his forearms up to his rolled sleeves and beyond. His broad shoulders tensed, so very male. Seeing his reaction had my heart doing double time and muscles low in my center turning liquid hot.
“Drugged you? Drugged you how?”
I gave myself a quick mental shake, trying again to stay on topic. “I…I think he spiked my drink.”
Come to think about it, that might have something to do with my current amorous mood. Their venom worked like some sort of date-rape drug…except I didn’t really mind. Then again, it could be all Alex.
Alex cursed under his breath, pushing from the bar, scrubbing a hand over his face then paced back to me. “Sounds like something Octavius would do. He’s territorial. Likes to mark what he sees as his. His scent on you is a kind of mark, a claim. Asshole .”
“Right.” Couldn’t argue that. The guy had used his mind tricks and venom to try to get me alone. Was he really planning on turning me? I didn’t want to think about it. “He told me about Bess.”
Alex’s gaze snapped to mine, his angry fidgeting stopped. “What did he say about her?”
“Only that she was killed and that you were so upset about it you wouldn’t see him.” I dropped my gaze, traced the rim of my glace with my finger. “I think he kind of blames you.”
He laughed but it wasn’t a happy laugh. “He would.”
“What happened?”
After a moment’s thought, Alex gestured with a nod of his head toward the tables that lined the far wall. He walked around the inside of the bar, and I grabbed my orange juice and followed along the outside. We met at the hinged section of the bar top.
“Her name was Elizabeth,” he said as we settled into an intimate table for two. “She hated the name Bess, but everyone was using the nickname back then and Octavius was only ever concerned about what he wanted.”
“Octavius said she turned him.”
“She did, though it was well before I was born.” Alex tipped his chin at the bar and raised a finger when the other bartender nodded back. “He’d stayed with her fifty years when I met them.”
“Wow, they really must’ve loved each other.”
Alex snorted. “Love had nothing to do with it. When a vampire turns someone they’re responsible for the fledgling for the first thirty years. It takes about that long for the sire’s mark to fade from the fledgling, and for their venom to be fully replaced by the fledgling’s own. The responsibility quickly becomes a burden. No one—no one sane—stays with their sire longer than those first thirty years.”
A thin, statuesque woman dressed the same as Alex and the other bartenders, white button shirt and black slacks, placed a glass filled with deep red liquid in front of Alex. He gave her a half nod. “Thanks.”
“Is that blood?” I had to ask. Couldn’t help it.
“No. Bloody Mary mix. I love this stuff.”
Too weird. “So Octavius was what, like a stalker?”
Alex finished his swallow nodding. “In a way. They’d had an infatuation before she turned him, but it was far more to Octavius. He’d become obsessed with her and it only got worse after the change. Later on she realized she’d seen signs, but her loneliness kept her in denial. I couldn’t blame her. An eternity walking outside the world, bearing witness to humanity but no longer a part of it, can be maddening.”
I looked around the nightclub, customers bumping shoulders, tables filled, people standing two deep at the bar. “Doesn’t look too lonely to me.”
Alex followed my gaze. “Things are different now. Back then our kind were spread far and wide with no easy way to keep in touch. We are not a pack species but we do feel the
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